Court battle lives up to billing

November 25, 2005|By Rudolph Bush and Matt O'Connor

Two months have passed since opening statements were completed in the historic corruption trial of former Gov. George Ryan.

In that time, prosecutors have sought to prove that Ryan, as secretary of state and governor, was a dishonest politician who greased the palms of a "chosen few" and stole from the very people he was elected to lead.

So far, the government has presented 19 of an expected 70 witnesses who have testified about a broad range of alleged wrongdoing, from sweetheart lease deals and fixed contracts to using an army of state employees to do Ryan's political bidding.

The defense teams for Ryan, 71, and his co-defendant and close friend, Lawrence Warner, 68, have doggedly dissected each prosecution witness's story. And they have succeeded, at times, in seeing some of those witnesses contradict themselves and each other.

The trial has lived up to its promise of a battle among the city's legal heavyweights, including fiery lead prosecutor Patrick Collins and Ryan's methodical defense attorney, Dan Webb.

The witness stand also has provided drama, particularly from the prosecution's reluctant star witness and Ryan's former chief of staff and protege, Scott Fawell.

Fawell, in prison for a related scheme, often flashed anger at prosecutors, particularly over their treatment of his fiance, Andrea Coutretsis, convicted of perjury for trying to conceal his crimes.

Originally expected to last four months, both sides are worried the trial could stretch as long as six months with no detail too small for argument and no witness left unchallenged.